Apparatus for cooling air by liquid contact



Patented Nov. 4, 1947 APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR BY LIQUID CNTACT Y,

John A. De Vilbiss, St. Marys, Kans., assignor to Rockhurst College, Kansas City, Mo., a cor-4 poration of Missouri Application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,727

1 Claim. l

This invention relates to air conditioning means for closed spaces, such as rooms, walk-in refrigerators, storage compartments, and, in fact, any space created by circumscribing walls, a floor and a ceiling,

The primary aim of this invention is to provide conditioning means for closed spaces, which means may be built as an integral part of the structure, or added thereto through suitable installation methods after the closed space or compartment has been in use for a period of time.

4 One of the important objects of my invention is to provide means for conditioning the air within a closed space, which means includes the necessary elements for establishing a natural movement of air currents, which currents travel across the surface of a liquid wherein cooling coils are submerged.

This invention has for further objects the provision of air conditioning means for spaces of the aforementioned type and character, that includes an open top reservoir, disposed near the ceiling of the closed space; a, filling of liquid in the reservoir; and a cooling coil submerged within the liquid.

The particular form and size of the open top reservoir is important and therefore, constitutes one of the main features of this invention. The manner of maintaining the liquid in said reservoir at a predetermined level is also an element of the conditioning means and all of the aforesaid parts combine to produce a simple, efficient and relatively inexpensive system for conditioning enclosed spaces.

Other objects of the invention will appear during the course of the following specification, referring to the accompanying drawing wherein:

l is an elevational-sectional view of a cabinet having its space conditioned through structure made in accordance with the present invention; and

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line .II-ll of Fig, 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

While I have chosen a refrigerator as the unit having an enclosed space l therein, it is obvious that the air conditioning means soon to be described, may be installed in any space enclosed by suitably insulated walls.

The cabinet l2 of the illustrated refrigerator, includes walls lil, a top I6, a door I8, and a iioor 2E). Thus, space ISJ is established and the means for conditioning the air in that space may be supported near the top thereof and immediately below the inner surface 22 of top I6.

The air conditioning means comprises a relatively shallow pan 25 having a sheet of insulating material 26 across the bottom and an open top defined by upstanding walls 2B. A well 3D is formed through pan 2B near its center and the vertical flanges 32 circumscribing this well 3il, cooperate With walls 28 in producing a shallow reservoir or pan 24 wherein is contained a lling of liquid 3Q.

A conduit 35 trapped as at 38, extends to a point exterior of space l0 and the vertical branches 40 terminate on a `horizontal plane where the level of liquid 34 is to be established.

Pan 24 is mounted upon brackets 62 seciiredioWn the side walls Ill, or, any other means for suspending pan 2li may be employed so long as the space 44 between the perimeter of pan 24 and the inner faces of walls lll is not restricted.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the reservoir or open top pan 24 should be placed relatively close to the upper surface 22 and the size of this pan M should be such as to establish a continuous space llt through which the air currents may pass as they move upwardly along the inner surfaces of walls I4, across the surface of liquid 313, and thence downwardly through well 30. The direction of travel is indicated by the aIIOWS illustrated in Fig. 1, and when this action of the air in space Il) takes place, a desired heat exchange occurs without experiencing a frosting of any part of the system. v

Cooling coils i6 are submerged in filling of liquid 3ft and these continuous coils t6 are connected to means not here shown for supplying a refrigerant thereto, all as is well known in the art.

The action of 4the cooling coils M5 will maintain a relatively low temperature in that portion of space Ill above pan 2li and the tendency of the cooler air to pass downwardly through well Sie, will establish a movement of air that would draw the relatively warm air upwardly through space 44 at the edge of pan rZll. The theory upon which the conditioning means above described is predicated is believed to be sound, for observations have taught that not only will the air circulate as described, but moisture will be withdrawn therefrom and collected in pan 2li. If the liquid level tends to rise, then the overflow pipe 35 will function,

Frosting of cooling coils 46 is entirely eliminated due to the manner of submerging said coils in liquid 34. Loss of eiiciency therefore, which is normally due to frosting, is not experienced when the air conditioner disclosed above is em- 3 ployed and long periods of operation may therefore, take place without maintenance of any type.

Liquid 34 may be brine or such substance as will not freeze at a low temperature. When such liquid is used the cooling coils 46 will not solidify liquid 34 and, therefore, the action of the apparatus will always be such as to obtain the full efficiency of the cooling coils.

The open top pan or reservoir 24 has been illustrated as constituting `a single unitary, shallow member but a plurality of shallow trays may be employed if desired.

Space I is illustrated in Fig.. 1 as being dvided into two parts by a *partition Wall 48 through which passages 50 are created to insure adequate circulation of air. The insulation .2B along the bottom of pan 24 should be eiective enough to preclude cooling of the air adjacent to the bottom of pan 2l by the liquid or coils 34 and 46 respectively, and when this insulation is so placed, the movement of air above described and indicated by the arrows will always occur.

Since the spa-ce air conditioner embodying my invention might be made to present diierent capacities, and further, in view of the fact that it may be installed wherever an enclosed space is to be treated, it is desired to be limited only by the spirit of the invention and scope kof the appended claim.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

Air conditioning means for a closed space comprising an open top, horizontally disposed pan near the top of the space, said pan being smaller than the horizontal cross sectional area of the space being conditioned to present marginal passages for upwardly moving, warm air within the space, said pan being adapted to contain a filling of liquid having a low freezing point to be traversed by air that has moved through said passages; a refrigerating coil in the pan at least partially submerged by the liquid, said pan having an opening substantially centrally therethrough to present a, passage for downwardly moving air that has been cooled by traversing said liquid; a conduit in communication with the pan for maintaining the liquid at a predetermined level as moisture from the air is deposited in the pan; and a covering of insulating material for the bottom of the pan for. preventing cooling of air below said pan.

JOHN' A. DE VILBISS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,014,833 Marshall Jan. A16, 1912 1,938,316 Burrows Dec. 5, 1933 2,131,700 Whiteley Sept. 27, 1938 

